Setting the Record Straight with the Book The Sheikh's Harem by Elizabeth Fernea

Harems were prevalent in Islamic tradition since the beginnings of Islam and the different dynasties that were being creating. The most famous harem of all was the Harem of the Ottoman Sultan which led to harems branching out to various other localities and dynasties. Western thought has mistaken harems for typically only having importance for sexual relations and have mistaken them for being brothels. Scholars of the western world saw the Ottoman Empire as something that was in decay during the 16th and 17th centuries, which is why they formulated the idea of harems only being about sexuality. The harems of Islamic tradition were fundamentally about family politics. The sexuality that would occur in the harems was primarily encompassed around sexual reproduction that was controlled for the succession to the throne. Women that were taken as concubines in the harem were not Muslim, because it is against Islamic law to enslave another Muslim. The concubines often used the harems as a way to advance in society. They used the harem as opportunities to influence events outside of the harem.

The particular harem in “The Sheikh’s Harem,” by Elizabeth Fernea is about the harem of Sheikh Haji Hamid. Sheikh Haji Hamid was sheikh of the El Eshadda tribe of the El Nehara village of Iraq, which was a Shia sect. Elizabeth Fernea accompanied her husband to the village of El Nehara and stayed there for two years during the 1950’s. Fernea’s husband was an anthropologist and together they studied Middle Eastern and African cultures. In the specific chapter, Fernea first enters the harem and is astonished by what she sees. Her husband was invited to lunch with the Sheikh, so she would have to spend the day in the harem.

As the excerpt begins, Fer...

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...ly. Sheikh Haji Hamid had more than one wife, and each of his wives had their own separate block of rooms for her and her children.

The harem has been a huge representation of Islamic culture especially when it came to dynasties and empires. Although they no longer exist, harems played a huge role in succession and the continuation of a family. The western notion of a harem has been negative and often viewed them as brothels but they played a part in family and political life. Elizabeth Fernea and her husband spent two years living with an Iraqi family and during this time, Fernea was able to understand the ways of Iraqi women that lived in the harem. It was a tough and learning experience, but Fernea was able to adjust to the customs and traditions that were presented in front of her to gain a better understanding of who these women were and what they represented.